Polishing and buffing machine



June 4, I940. G. A. CARLSQN 2,203,488

POLISHING AND BUFFING MACHINE Filed June 30, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR. Gas/are 6? (hr/J0 ATTORNEY.

Patented June 4, .1940

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE POLISHING AND BUFF ING. lVIAGHIlIE Gustave A. Carlson, Detroit, Mich. Application June 30,1938, Serial No. 216,696 8 Claims. (01.51-166) This invention relates to polishing and buffing machines and has forits primary object to pro- .vide a machine for grindingpolishing o-r buflln objects in production, as said, objects are fed thereto by conveying apparatus.

Another object is to. provide a polishing and bufling machine includinga rotary tool of subi stantial weight of improved sensitiveness for following irregular surfaces of the objects bein worked upon, while maintaining a uniform working pressure on the work objects during such shifting. In this connection, the tool carrying spindle is supported upon the free end of a pivoted arm, and counterbalancing means acts upon said arm whereby the pressure of the tool on the work remains substantially uniform during pivoting of the arm.

Another object is to provide a machine embodying a shiftable support for a tool spindle, counterbalanced as above referred to, and means for supporting the tool spindle support, the counterbalancing means and the motor for driving the spindle whereby the entire unit may be adjusted horizontally, vertically andalso angularly with respect to the horizontal. Such ad.-

-justments enable use of the same polishing and.

bufiing unit with different types of work conveyors, and enables adjustment to accommodate themachine to work objects of widelyvarying shapes. a. i

i In prior machines of this character shifting of thetoolspindle is usually accompanied with shifting of the spindle operating motor, with the result that shifting movements are sluggish due to the comparatively great Weight being moved. This, of course, requires slower movement of the work objects as they are continuously fedto and past the machine. It is an object of this invention to support the operating motor whereby the spindle supporting arm is free from the weight thereof, and to thereby reduce the inertia whereby the wheel responds to the contour of more rapidly moving work.

adjustable means for regulating the pressure of the wheel on the work object. In other words, the spindle is .not dependent upon the effects of gravity, and the pressure of the wheel on the work is definitely regulated and maintained proper for any given operation.

Other objects relate to the desirable features of construction of the machine whereby, for example, the several adjustments. necessary to accommodate different work objects may be readily made, the manner in which the motor is mounted and operatively connected to the tool spindle, and the means for maintaining the motor and.

spindle belts tightened.

I! of Fig. 5; I

Fig. 7 is a section taken on th Fig- 1; e line I 1 of Fig. 8 is a section taken on the i Fig. 7, and lne of Fig. 9' is a fragmental plan ofa detail. The present machine includes a base I having a dove-tail guide 2 slidably receiving. a dovetailed end 3 block 4. In the upper portion of the block 4 is provided a dovetail 5, disposed at right angles to the guide 2, and slidably receivmg a plate 6. The plate 6 and the block 4 have screws 1, such as are usually employed in this type of sliding arrangement, for causing relative movement of the elements for adjustment purposes.

Supported by the plate 6 is a vertical tubular post 8 having a screw 9 therein with a worm gear! adapted to be rotated by the manually operable worm gear II. A slide. member I2 is mounted upon the post 8, and has a portion [3 extending through a slot M in the post and screw threadedly engaging the screw 9. Engagement of the portion 13 with the sides of the slot It prevents rotation of the slidable element relative to the post, and engagement with the screw 9 results in vertical sliding movement of the element 12 upon manual rotation of the screw 9.

The sliding element l2 has a projecting bracket I5 upon which is secured a fixture Hi, the fixture being secured by means of a substantially centrally disposed pin H which may betightened to fl hold the fixture against movement when once placed in the desired location. The fixture l5 includes a clamping element I8 which receives a stud [9 for supporting a table 20, the stud. having a worm gear 2| adapted to be rotated, when the clamping elements l8 are loose, by a manually operable worm 22. The table is here illustrated as being horizontally disposed, but obviously it may be tilted, by the above described means, about the axis of the stud l9. When once placed in the desired location, however, the clamping elements 3 are tightened to hold the stud against accidental movement.

Supported at one end by pivot brackets 23,

on the table 20, is a motor support 24, the free end of which is connected to the table 29 by an adjustable element 25, in order that it may be elevated or lowered for belt tightening purposes as will hereinafter appear. An electric motor 26 is mounted on the member 24.

Depending from the table 28 is a bracket 21 supporting a trunnion 28, and rotatable upon the trunnion 28 is a bracket having two aligned bearing portions 29 united by an integral transr verse structure 30. As may be seen in. Fig. 3,

the bracket 21 has a projecting element 3| extending underneath the transverse formation 38 .and adapted to engage the same to restrict rotation of the bearing members 29 relative to the trunnion 28. A set screw 32 is mounted in the formation 38 andmay be adjusted to vary the restriction of .rotation of the bearing members.

Each bearing member 29 has a radially extending socket 33 receiving a pilot 34 of a screw 35. The pilot of each screw is retained in its respective socket 33 by engagement of a set screw 36 engaging the walls of a groove 31 therein. A spindle support 38 has a pair of internally threaded sockets 39 receiving the ends of the screws 35. The screws have tool receiving portions 40 whereby they may be manually rotated to vary the distance between the trunnion 28 and the spindle support and lock nuts 35a are provided to engage the sockets 39. Rotatable in the spindle support is a spindle 4! having a pulley 42 on one end, and a polishing and buffing wheel 43 on the other end.

The trunnion 28, bearings 29, sockets 33 and 39, being connected by the screws 35 are analogous to a swinging arm, supporting the spindle 4| for swinging movement about the axis of the trunnion 28. The pulley 42 is connected by belts 44 toafour groove pulley 45-whicli is loosely journalled onthe trunnion, and inasmuch as the spindle swings about the axis 01 the trunnion 28, the'distance between the two pulleys 42 and 45 remains constant. Proper tension may'be placed on the belts 44 by adjusting the screws 35 in their sockets 39. The motor 26 has apulley 46 connected to the pulley 45 by belts 41, and the belts 41 may be properly tensioned by adjusting the screw 25 by which one end of the motor support 24 may be depressed or elevated.

' In order to counterbalance the pivoted spindle support whereby it will remain in any desired position, and yield when the bufiing wheel contacts work objects, a spring counterbalance is employed. The counterbalance comprises a yoke strap 48 pivotally attached to a bracket 49 on the depending bracket 21, and a rod 58 attached to a bracket 5| on the spindle support 38. A spring 52 is sleeved on the rod 58 and interposed between an eye 53 on the strap, and an adjustable nut 54 on the rod 50. The strap 48 and'rod are mounted above the spindle support and tear ing 29 whereby the spring 52 tends to elevate the spindle. By adjusting the nut 54 the spindle support may be held at any desired elevation.

A similar strap 55 and rod 56 are connected beneath the depending bracket 21 and the spindle support 38, and have a spring 56a confined between an eye 51 and an adjustable nut 58 tending to pull the spindle downwardly. By adjusting the nut 58 the spring 56a may be regulated to cause anydesired pressure between the wheel 43 and a work object.

What I claim is:

1. The combination of an arm mounted for oscillation about a fixed axis, a tool holding spindle mounted in said arm parallel to said axis, a pulley having a plurality of grooves concentric with said axis, a stationary motor support having a motor mounted thereon, means driving said pulley from said motor, means driving said spindle from said pulley,sp-ringing means supporting said arm against gravity at an angle with respect to the vertical, and springing means including the first named springing means opposing oscillation of said arm out of its selected position.

2. The combination as" set vforth in claim 1 wherein the resistance of all of said springing means is inclividuallyadjustable.

3. The combination of an arm mounted for oscillation about a fixed axis and having a tool holding spindle mounted for rotation therein, spring'means positioning said arm against gravity, a stationary motor support having a motor thereon for driving said spindle, said arm being composed of a plurality of telescoping parts adjustab-le' in lengthto-vary the radius of oscillation thereof, and removable means connecting some of said parts, said. last named means being removable to enable complete separation of the parts;

it connects while other of said parts are moved telescopically. c

l. The combination of an arm mounted for oscillation about a fixed axis and having a tool holding spindle mounted for rotation therein, spring means positioning said arm against gravity, and a stationary motor support having a motor thereon for driving, said spindle, said arm being. adjustable in length, said motor support being adjustabletoward and away from said. axis.

5. A grinding machine comprising a standard, a table supported by said standard,manual means for elevating and lowering said table on said standard, a bearing member on said table, a mo.- tor support having one and connected to said bearing member and its other end adjustably connected to said table for adjustment toward and away therefrom, a motor mounted on said support, a second bearing member carried ,by said table, an arm having a spindle for grinding wheels and the like journalledtherein, said arm being oscillably mounted on said second bearing member, a pulley coaxial withsaid second bearing member, means driving said pulley from said motor, and means driving saidspindle by said pulley. r

6. A grinding'machine comprising a standard, a table supported by said standard, manual means for elevating and lowering said table on said standard, a bearing member on said table, a motor support having one end connected to said bearing'member and its other end adjustably connected to said table 'for adjustment toward and away" therefrom, a motor mounted on said supports second bearing member carried by said table,'an arm having a spindle for grinding wheels and the like journalled therein, said arm being oscillably mounted on said second bearing member, a pulley coaxial with said second hearing member, means driving said pulley from said motor, andmeans driving said spindle by said pulley, and spring means anchored at one end to said table and at its other end to said arm supporting said arm in angular position against gravity.

7. A grinding machine comprising a standard, a table supported by said standard, manual means for elevating and lowering said, table on said standard, a bearing member on said table, a motor support having one end connected to said bearing member and its other end adjustably connected to said table for adjustment toward and away therefrom, a motor mounted on said support, a second bearing member carried by said table, an arm having a spindle for grinding wheels and the like journalled therein, said arm being oscillably mounted on said second bearing member, a pulley coaxial with said second bearing member;

means driving said pulley from said motor, means driving said spindle by said pulley, spring means anchored at one end to said tableand at its other end to said arm supporting said arm in angular position agaii ist gravity, and a second spring means cooperating with the first spring means yieldingly opposing oscillations by said arm.

8. The combination of a motor support, an arm pivoted at one end on said support and having a tool holding spindle rotatably mounted in the other end thereof, counterbalancing means for said-arm, a motor on said support driving said spindle, said aim being formed of two parts having screwthreaded engagement enabling adjustment of the arm as to length and a third part connected to one of said parts by removable means, a base on which said motor support is mounted, and means for adjusting said motor support vertically and rotationally with respect to said base.

GUSTAVE A. CARLSON, 

